Purchased this at a flea market. This is solid wood. It weighs in at 64 lbs!. It is a beautiful piece. Its about 31 inches long. No idea where it was made or where it comes from. Not sure what those 3 holes on the bottom are for. It does have some damage that appears to be superficial. I would like to restore/repair if possible. Some artwork on it appears to be hand carved. So any thoughts? Really difficult to unload out of the truck when we got it home. Hasnt moved much further than front foyer either yet lol. Any thoughts were it came from how old etc what are those holes on the bottom for???
thanks

Comments

trgrubaugh, 3 years agoYeah, there were modern machines involved, but some of the artwork appears to be hand carved.

Purpleisafruit6, 3 years agoso one at a garage sale that was a very similar looking style except it was a horse. I didnt buy it though bc one ear was cracked off.

trgrubaugh, 3 years agoYeah my wife loves elephants and fell in love with this guy. I have found very little information about it online. I know its not real old. Do not know much else about it.

tspenc, 3 years agoI have one that looks similar. I was told at auction that it was from a small carousel for little kids. The carousel did not go up and down just around slowly. Yours looks like it been refinished. made

scottvez, 3 years agotspenc-- I think you got some auction hype that wasn't accurate.

Scott

trgrubaugh, 3 years agothanks tspenc and scott. I sent a pic to the national carousel horse association and they said it was not a carousel ride and the holes on the bottom were probably to protect it during the carving process. Another person in England said that it is most likely monkey pod and made in thailand or phillipines. The skids on the bottom show a lot of wear. It has definitely been refinished. I am hoping to find a pic of how it is supposed to look. I have someone to restore/repair it but need to know what it is supposed to look like.

rohojo, 3 years agoI believe I have the same elephant, with a different paint job (mine is more pastel). I purchased mine in a southern Florida shop about 20 years ago. for about $500. The last post mentioned monkey pod wood and, although I couldn't remember the name, that is correct, so it must be the same piece. I was under the impression it was new when I bought it and had purchased another piece with three elephant heads which I use as a glass table base and is of similar construction. Although mine does not have the 3 holes on the bottom, it does have a carved indentation on the belly area 5 - 6 inches long. Mine has long cracks in it, which was there from the day I bought it and I just figured it was the nature of the wood. I actually ran across this post when I googled it because I am looking to get rid of mine in the eventuality of downsizing - so if any one is interested, let me know - or you can have a pair !!

trgrubaugh, 3 years agoThanks rohojo, I have no idea how old mine is. All of the ones I have found are slightly different. I wonder if each was made custom. I have only found about 4 that are similar dimensions. how long/tall is it? If you want to email me a pic of yours, trghpu1994@yahoo.com.
thanks again.

hankneese, 2 years agoI have a piece almost identical to yours. It's the same in size and weight, although the end of the trunk protrudes upwards at a 45 degree angle, rather that laying flat like yours does. Also, the backdress that's carved into its sides is marked on either side with the letter "A", that, and its red saddle seemingly represents the University of Alabama. The college mascot just happens to be an elephant. I live in Mobile, Alabama and I acquired this piece at a consignment shop I worked at here. Those who entered the shop always asked "How much for the Alabama elephant?" I know nothing of its history and I'm happy to have found other people with the same piece. I'm actually planning to sell it, and thanks to rohojo, I now know it's at least 20 years old and could bring in $500. I welcome ANY information I could get. Thanks, guys!

rohojo, 2 years agoWhen I purchased mine in a nice retail shop I paid $500 and it was new. One of the people who had posted earlier than I did picked it up at garage sale for $20 (we were exchanging emails and photos). Good luck getting $500 ! If you know of anyone who wants a pair I will let mine go for quite a bit less than that. I would imagine someone painted the U of Alabama reference/color after their purchase.

hankneese, 2 years agoThanks for writing back! The "A" is actually carved into the wood. But this elephant is the almost the same as yours and the one in the pics above. Actually, the only story I have is from the man who brought it in. He said he bought it from a man who was unloading it from his truck for $8. After the exchange was made, another man stepped up and offered to buy it -- from the man who just purchased it -- for $300. I feel certain I could get that amount because people in my neck of the woods are crazy about Alabama football. You said yours was new when you purchased it. How do you know that? Just curious.

hankneese, 2 years agoAnd the "A" is raised lettering, by the way. So it was definitely carved at the same time as the rest of the piece.

trgrubaugh, 2 years agothanks for the comments. haven't seen the Alabama one yet. I know mine was made in Thailand or the Philippines, but dont know too much more. I have not run across many that are the same size, most are smaller

allenteri, 2 years agoGreat to see so many people interested in this unusual type of collectible. We have a similar elephant only smaller in size, along with a rabbit and a horse. It's nice to see an origin for them.

I'm thinking it was new because it was a high endish home decor type gift shop and I bought two pieces that day (other was a similar 3 elephant head carving which h I use as a table base), it was not an antique shop and I suspect they would have mentioned it was an antique if they thought it was. I have quite a bit of antiques
which I have purchased over the years and have found people tend to pass newer pieces off as antiques yet have never found someone trying to pass off antiques as new pieces. Just my life experience.

trgrubaugh, 2 years agothanks yall. The flea market booth we bought it from didnt speak much english, much less advertise it as an antique, and yes, far too many antique booths try to claim something new as old. Have a Happy New Year

Superfly, 9 months agoThis rocking elephant is from Thailand. I lived there for 5 years and had one just like it. It was most likely made about 20 years ago. They have similar styles now but they look more modern and use different colored stains. The holes on the bottom are most likely when they attached the piece to the workbench when they were working on it. These are not mass produced and the detail work would have been done by hand.

trgrubaugh, 9 months agothanks for the info Superfly. It appears some parts are carved by hand. It is a great piece. we love it

shelley.robinson, 9 months agoHi I have a similar one to yours also. It was a gift to my son 15 years ago and i still have it pride of place in my room. I am in The UK, and never seen one advertised before. Thank you for the info, i always wondered where he came from.

skb34023, 4 months agoIt is nice to finally have some info on these items. I have a horse and today I came across a duck. All simikar paintings and carvings but the duck is a little larger than the horse. I also found a seal and goat online as well. I love these pieces and so do my grandbabies :-)

skb34023, 4 months agoI was also told that the previous owner of my horse had it fir more than thirty years.

trgrubaugh, 4 months agoThanks for the comments. It is nice to know there are more out there. I made the mistake of taking it to Antiques Roadshow a few years back and the appraiser turned her nose up at it without even really giving it a good look.